By Catherine Egwuom
The Founder of Serendipity House Widows Foundation, Olori Yemisi Jaiyeola, has called for practical interventions to address Africa’s growing widowhood crisis.
Jaiyeola made the call on Tuesday during a 2026 World Widows Day event held at the Widows Centre, Maryland, Lagos.
She said widows care should move beyond annual expressions of sympathy to measurable actions that improved widows’ welfare and livelihoods.
The humanitarian said that widowhood remained one of Africa’s most significant but least recognised humanitarian challenges.
“Widows cannot eat speeches. Widows cannot pay rent with sympathy. Widows need solutions. Widow care must have meaning,” she said.
Jaiyeola said African widows faced multiple challenges, including poverty, harmful cultural practices, economic exclusion, insecurity and inadequate social protection.
She expressed concern over the rising number of widows resulting from insecurity, terrorism, insurgency, communal conflicts, kidnappings and violent crimes across the continent.
According to her, the loss of breadwinners continues to leave families devastated and children vulnerable.
She described the increasing rate of widowhood in Africa as a silent pandemic requiring urgent attention from governments and stakeholders.
“Every preventable death creates another widow. Every act of violence creates another orphan. Security is widow-care. Peace is widow-care,” she said.
Jaiyeola urged African governments to prioritise security, peace-building and family preservation to reduce the growing number of widows.
She advocated the establishment of a national and state widows commissions and stronger protection of inheritance rights.
The widow-care advocate also called for economic empowerment programmes, skills acquisition initiatives, healthcare support and educational assistance for widows’ children.
She stressed the need for accurate data on widows and the elimination of harmful traditional practices affecting them.
Jaiyeola urged widows to embrace economic opportunities and become self-reliant despite the challenges associated with widowhood.
She said the foundation had supported more than 45,000 widows through various programmes over the past 31 years.
The founder announced plans to expand interventions and establish a shelter for widows facing homelessness and abandonment.
She appealed to individuals, corporate organisations, faith-based groups and philanthropists to support efforts aimed at improving widows’ welfare.
“No gift is too small. Every little support can restore hope to a broken life,” she said.
Jaiyeola holds a traditional title and is referred to as ” Her Royal Grace, Queen of Family Heritage, Ijebu Imushen.
She is also the Founder of God’s Wives International Widows Ministry, a group that provides support, empowerment, and counseling to widows to help them overcome social stigma and poverty.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Vivian Ihechu